As reported on Channel 3 and in the Walker Messenger, Walker County Sheriff Steve Wilson has been diagnosed with cancer. The specific form of cancer is Multiple Myeloma, or Kahler’s Disease. It’s a blood cancer that mostly affects the bone marrow and can lead to weakened or broken bones and pain, especially in the ribs and spine. Sheriff Wilson has begun taking chemotherapy and will receive radiation treatments for the next six months.

(The Underground had this information on November 1st but waited to post anything out of respect for the Sheriff’s privacy; now that it’s public record we feel free to comment.)

Our prayers are with Sheriff Wilson as he battles the pain and uncertainty that comes with cancer. Regardless of any differences we may have with the sheriff and his management of the department and jail over the last 13 years, we wouldn’t wish this kind of illness on anyone and hope he has a quick recovery.

That said (and please don’t take this the wrong way), we hope that the sheriff will do what’s best for the county and step away from his job if his condition gets to the point where he cannot be an effective leader. The LaFayette Police Department was decimated by late police chief Richardson’s refusal to resign from his job even as he entered the end stages of cancer; that irresponsibility led to a department that ran wild without strong leadership and produced the likes of Sam Parker and Ben Chaffin.

This isn’t a demand for Sheriff Wilson to quit now, but a suggestion that he do the responsible thing and plan for the department’s future if he is incapacitated by the disease or the radiation treatment. Walker County cannot afford to have an ineffective, rudderless sheriff’s department while waiting on the next election for sheriff.

LINK: Walker County Sheriff’s Office
LINK: More About Multiple Myeloma
LINK: Sheriff Wilson’s Facebook Page